And as I have been neglecting to point out that it was everywhere here is a close up of Opuntia sulphurea [attachment 15995 h.jpg] Another very variable plant with spines rangine from a couple of inches to closer to 5 inches.It should really replace Erythrina crista-galli as the Argentinian national...

And another with different spination [attachment 15993 g.jpg] They seemed as variable as the atriculatus and this ties in nicely with the plants I have seen in the UK. I was not expecting the variability between plants at the same location as I had previously assumed that most plants in any one popu...

This was a very good site. A few yards further on we found....

[attachment 15992 f.jpg]
Tephrocactus alexanderi

The next plant that caught my eye was.............another Tephrocactus articulatus var articulatus[attachment 15978 e.jpg] This time with rather nice spines and contrasting red glochids. It came complete with an ant and a flower bud. In fact there were so many variations that I could have spent my w...

As David chided me on the distances I will try to be more realistic. After a driving for a little while along a road lined each side with rare Tephrocatus we pulled up in the front garden of a run down goat herders 'dwelling' and were admitted by him into the Los Colorados national park. We drove do...

I was by now running wildly around trying to examine each one in turn and had to be dragged back onto the bus with the promise of better ones to come.....
[attachment 15976 c.jpg]
T articulatus var articulatus

After some enthusiastic prompting from myself Willy had the bus stop so that we could examine the rare Tephrocacti growing alongside the road......
[attachment 15975 b.jpg]
T. articulatus var ?

Day two - Chamical - Chilecito 200km And so day two dawned. After our Argentinian breakfast it was all into the van and off on the road to Los Colorados. As David noted the roads tended to be very straight and this one headed straight into the side of the aptly named mountains..... [attachment 15973...

And then a Tephrocactus leapt into view. And what a beauty I hear you say....... [attachment 15959 q.jpg] T. Articulatus var ? At this point I still cherished the notion that Tephrocacti were 'rare' or at least 'uncommon' and not 'weeds' as Willy insisted on calling them. (Well the T. articulatus an...

[attachment 15958 p.jpg]
Cleistocactus baumannii in aforementioned scrubby woodland.